Francisco Lindor received a brutally honest admission following his strong 2024 season with the New York Mets.

Is New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor underappreciated? Writer Will Leitch recently addressed the topic during an appearance on MLB Network.

“He was terrific (in 2024),” Leitch said of Lindor. “It’s funny, though… Lindor is someone who is still, until this year, was kind of underappreciated. Let’s not forget, he has not made an All-Star game since 2019. Doesn’t that seem impossible that Francisco Lindor would go that long?”

So why has Lindor been “underappreciated” over the years? After all, as Leitch mentioned, Lindor has not made an All-Star game since the 2019 season, when he was still in Cleveland. He has yet to make an All-Star game in New York with the Mets.

Leitch referenced the idea of voter fatigue, although Lindor has yet to win an MVP. He did finish second in National League MVP voting in 2024, however.

“I think there were a couple years where Mike Trout probably could have won an MVP, another one, but people were tired of voting for him,” Leitch continued. “I think Lindor has that a little bit, where he can maybe statistically not be the best player in the National League next year, but after what he did this year… I think that helps him down the line. Sometimes you work your way up to that point.”

Leitch has a point. However, the reality of the situation is that Francisco Lindor did not play his best baseball after getting traded to the Mets. He finished with an OPS of just .734 in 2021, .788 in 2022 and .804 during the 2023 season. Sure, he was still playing a quality brand of defense at shortstop, but Lindor was not playing up to his expectations.

In 2024, though, Lindor found his footing. The star shortstop slashed .273/.344/.500/.844. He also hit 33 home runs and stole 29 bases. It was a strong season, but Lindor was still snubbed of an All-Star appearance.